From Nowhere to the ALCS

October 18, 2017

Linked below are a couple of really good articles documenting the rise of the Houston Astros franchise who are currently tied 2-2 in the ALCS with the New York Yankees. The seeds of this title-contending team were planted during a three-year stretch in which the Astros lost more than 100 games each season. Behind GM Jeff Luhnow, the Astros invested heavily in analytics and pursued a rebuilding strategy that very much mirrored the “tanking” done by the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.

“It is satisfying to know that we stayed the course, we made adjustments when we had to, and we executed the strategy that was best for the Houston Astros, given our market size, our revenue, and where we started,” Luhnow said. “It wouldn’t work for everybody, but it would certainly work for us.”